Posts from the ‘Knitting’ category

The lovely David of Southern Cross Fibre contacted me and Amy of Spunky Eclectic recently with a fantastic idea. Since we, and a great chunk of other hand-dyers, sell our fibers in 4 oz. pieces, we should encourage the designing of objects and the writing of patterns that use that amount of fiber. If you’ve been around Ravelry’s spinning boards, you know “What can I do with just 4 oz.?” is a common question. We, and everyone who joins us, will help make the answer a whole lot easier.

On top of that, there are really good prizes- a grand prize of a $150 fiber pack from Spunky Eclectic/Hello Yarn/Southern Cross Fibre (about three 4 oz lots from each) and a random prize draw with three $50 prizes (one 4 oz lot from each SE/HY/SCF). People who spin and create an original item through August/September will get one entry in the random prize draw. Those who publish the pattern get an additional entry in the random draw. The grand prize ($150 fiber) will be judged based on published and submitted patterns only.

The rules are:

1. During August and September, spin up 4 oz. of handpainted fiber from Spunky Eclectic, Southern Cross Fiber, or Hello Yarn and knit/crochet/weave something from this handspun yarn with no other yarn added. You can use less than the 4 oz., but not more. Spin it bulky for a hat or super fine for a giant shawl, we love it all.

2. Write up a pattern. While not necessary, even to be entered into the random prize drawings, it’s kind of the point and everyone will appreciate it. Publish said pattern, either on Ravelry or your blog, either for free or for sale. Please follow current pattern-writing guidelines. Not sure what they are? Knittyspin has a great set of guidelines. Please note that the grand prize will be judged on the basis of the actual pattern submitted, not just prettiness.

3. Email us with your object and a bit about it or email us the pattern.

What a super pattern! I know it started as a joke, but a pattern for super plain toe-up socks is exactly what I need when knitting with handspun. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, and it would stink to not have enough for that one last toe.

I followed the pattern exactly for the foot, then increased up the back of the leg, 2 sts. ever 5 rows, to 54 sts. Decreased to 52 at the top and finished with 2×2 rib. They fit like a glove. I don’t know if it’s the yarn weight, the dense knitting, or the shaping, but these socks crack me up- they look like legs!

I loooove the fiber I spun the yarn from- Spunky Eclectic Corriepaca. It’s an 80/20 blend of Corriedale wool and Alpaca fiber and mmmmm, it’s strong, shiny, and a delight to spin. It should make for quite sturdy socks, too.

Winter is such a wonderful time to knit mittens, isn’t it? It makes more sense to knit them prior to winter so that they’re put aside, ready for use, when the cold comes, but I find myself thinking of them only when the cold hits. After knitting my squirrel mittens (many times over), I was ready for some fat yarn. David’s pattern was ready right when I was.

DK weight yarn is a favorite of mine, so I had quite a stash to choose from. After some swatching, I settled on Rauma 3 ply Strikkegarn, a Norwegian yarn that, if it isn’t made for mittens, certainly seems like it is! It’s got that crunchy, crispy feel and deep sheen of a long wool, along with a long wool’s strength. The colors are absolutely striking. I doubt these mittens will ever wear out. One of my testers of the Fiddlehead Mittens pattern used Blue Sky Alpacas’ Brushed Suri for her lining and I’ve been wanting to use it myself, ever since. It’s soft as can be and amazingly warm, and a perfect weight for lining DK and worsted weight mittens.

Almost all of the skein of Brushed Suri- there are only a few yards left.

The mittens are:
9.5” long
9” around above the thumb
8” around the wrist

The pattern was an absolute pleasure to knit. The charts are clear and large, so knitting just zipped along. The linings make the mittens into cozy little pillows for my hands. It’s just what I needed during these cold months.

Fiber Club:

The fiber club renewals are up for February – April. If you’re a current member and would like to join again, go get ‘em! I’ll leave this up until the 26th, then start emailing people on the waiting list to invite them, if there are any slots left. Please note: I sent out a newsletter today and, as usual, about 20 were returned. Please add adrian at helloyarn dot com to your contacts. Please also note that the waiting list for the club is closed. If I ever manage to get through the current one, it will be so long from now that people’s email addresses will have changed. Starting a fresh one at that time seems like the best plan.
Stuff I Love:

* Woodstoves- As you might guess from the first photo above, there’s wood to be hauled around here! We installed a very beautiful woodstove this winter and have switched to heating with wood. Our lives very much revolve around chopping wood and feeding the fire, as well as enjoying the wonderful heat the stove provides. I’ve even bought a book on woodstove cookery. We’ll see how that goes! So far, it’s been fantastic to proof and raise bread dough by. I can’t recommend Morso stoves highly enough, if you’re in the market. This little tyke is heating our home wonderfully.

* Peanut Butter- My life is changed. I’ve never had Hell’s Kitchen’s peanut butter before, but the recipe is online and holy doodle, this peanut butter is beyond imagining. Caro pointed out the recipe to me, as she is a fan of the restaurant’s peanut butter, and she also advised that the peanuts would be better roasted at 275F. Caro knows of what she speaks, so I did what I was told. The recipe makes about a liter, so I shared with 2 neighbors, who called last night to ask me to marry them. It’s that good.

* The Outlander Series- How did I miss these books all these years? I am angry at every person I know who read this and didn’t command me to. A couple of friends and I are reading them now and giggle like schoolgirls over Jamie. The fact that he knits only adds to his charms. If you’re going to be kept indoors by the frigid weather, you might as well have a giant redheaded Highlander to entertain you!